Sometimes I find I must retreat within my family. My children, when things get difficult and I get down. Focusing deeply on the small details that make me happy. Their happiness. Their giggles. Freckles on my 9 year old's sunny little cheeks and nose. Her caring nature and desire to help me and her sisters. Her faithful belief that magic is real. My 5 year old's ability to make a joke like a stand up comedian--even when I'm so angry, I can't resist giggling with her. She is skeptical, but hopeful. Her singing and dancing that she does EVERY day, with no rhyme or reason except that it makes her happy. My 3 year old's curly locks and funny faces. Oh, and the endless lullaby demands :) "rockababy" "mockingbird" and "little star" are her favorites right now. Oh yes, and tinkerbell, and princesses. And my 1 year old, her sweet icy blue/grey eyes. Her long baby eyelashes and sweet baby smile. The steps she's learning to take, more every single day. Her tiny little hands that still reach for mine, and her sweet arms that wrap around my neck to hug me close.
The hugs. All of my babies give amazing hugs. Hugs that send you into that calm place. Hugs that make you stop for a moment and think of only them. You breathe them in, either the smell of a child during summer, or fresh from the bath tub scent-- I'll take either. Those are the things I choose to concentrate on. Those are the things that get me through ANY hard times. Those tiny details that drive me each day. Can there honestly be anything more precious than those fleeting moments? I don't believe so. So on days when everything gets so complicated, the best place to escape is home :)
